Evilturtle

Alcatraz: Cal Sweeney

2012-02-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

The opening scene of the fourth episode shows a man walking into a bank. He walks up to a woman teller and asks to see his security deposit box. Once back by the security boxes, the man and teller start to make out and the man asks to make sure that the security cameras are off.

I find it kind of funny that the man read her name off her name tag, but obviously knew her and got her to turn off the cameras. And again the inmates know about current tech.

The man turns the woman around and starts kissing her neck, all while he is also pulling a syringe from his pocket to stick in her neck. She instantly becomes unconscious, as he drags her limp body to the corner of the room. The man uses this opportunity to pull a bolt gun and use it to pop the locks off the security deposit boxes.

These security boxes only have one key. Working in a bank myself, I always thought there were two. One for the bank and one for the customer.

As the man clears out the security boxes, another employee walks into the room and notices the unconscious co-worker laying on the floor. The robber grabs the bolt gun and runs up to kill the man.

Flashing back to 1960, we find Cal Sweeney (Eric Johnson) talking to a younger boy named Harlan and Sweeney is explaining how the laundry room works and how contraband come in this way. A guard comes in and tells Sweeney to fake a tummy ache and that his cell is being tossed by Tiller. Sweeney gets back to his cell and then stumbles around, searching for something, something that Tiller has taken. Sweeney demands to be taken to see Tiller, so the guards take him as Tiller is getting a shave. Sweeney asks Tiller why he had tossed his cell. Tiller says "Some people leave flowers. Others, a mint on a pillow. I toss cells."

Got to love the reference to Kit Nelson's habits.

Sweeney wants to know where his small metal box is. Tiller has no idea what he is referring to. Tiller wanted to get his attention so he could get in on Sweeney's operation. Sweeney refuses and threatens to close business until he gets his box back. Tiller says after getting nicked by the razor, "You know the secret to a good, hot shave? You have to draw the razor with the grain of the whiskers, so everything ends up nice and smooth. When you go against the grain, that's when you get nicked." Tiller then sends Sweeney back to his cell.

Tiller and Harlan are back in the laundry room and they start to pull together a plan to get back at Tiller. Harlan mentions a party for Tiller at the Warden's house. Harlan has a connection that might be able to get them in to the party. They make it to the party and the Warden is trying to really impress Tiller and even tells Tiller, "no expense too great for my finest big day." Dr. Lucy Singupta and Dr. Beauregard are at the diner and they are meeting for the first time. Lucy begins to introduce her self and then elaborates and talks about how she would like to remove the traumatic memories from the inmates and replace them with a more soothing one, that this would help correct and adjust their behavior (Rewire).

The Warden raises his glass to E.B. and then there is an awkward silence and it looks like no one knows what to do. Everyone finally raises there glasses for Tiller and the Warden gives E.B. a pen. Harlan goes to poor some coffee and spills it on Tiller. Tiller goes to the restroom to clean up and this gives Sweeney an opportunity, the one he was looking for. They begin to talk percentages and finally settle on Tiller getting 50%, but Sweeney demands he gets his box back. Tiller says he doesn't have it and they break into a fight and Sweeney ends up getting stabbed with Tiller's new gift.

Sweeney is back in his cell and in a lot of pain. Harlan starts talking to Sweeney and talks about how Sweeney lost his family in the fire. Harlan slides his tin box to him, which is all he has to remember his family. Harlan carries on talking about Christmas and other family memories and doesn't know what it would be like without them. Harlan had set Sweeney up and he plans on taking over the operation since Sweeney showed his belly, like a submissive dog. Sweeney crushes his tin box and the guards come to take him to the hole.

In the present, we find Soto and Rebecca sitting to eat a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Soto is not happy about this, but they continue their conversation about how Soto got his PHDs to please his parents, but gets himself blacklisted for doing a study based of Gotham City.

I love all the Batman references that appear in this show. If you don't know me, I'm a huge Batman fan and I love to see people reference material from the comics.

Rebecca questions Soto and says that he would rather get humiliated instead of quitting and confronting his parents? Soto makes a priceless face that looks like he was saying "Oh, sh*t, she got me." Rebecca then goes on to say that's adorable. Rebecca gets a phone call and is notified about the bank robbery and Soto knows it's Sweeney since he only hit the security deposit boxes. Soto then goes on to say that if everything goes smooth, Sweeney wouldn't hurt a fly and that the manager must have surprised him. Rebecca gives Sweeney credit for being smart because, security boxes aren't FDIC insured, so it's just destruction of property, which is not a federal crime.

I find it funny that Sylvane went to jail for robbing a grocery store because they sell stamps and that Sweeney would probably get away with a slap on the wrist for robbing a bank.

Sweeney approaches Mr. Bailey's and pretends to be from the colonial liberty bank and walks into help him with an insurance claim.

Sweeney is quite the con man, maybe even better than Sawyer.

Sweeney begins talking about the items in the box and then really harps on the necklace and wants to know the whole story. He asks Bailey where him and his wife had met? Bailey wants to know why Sweeney needs to know that for his insurance forms. Sweeney says he doesn't and then pulls the necklace from his jacket pocket. Sweeney wants to know for himself. Bailey goes to call the bank, Sweeney grabs him by the hand and uses the bolt gun to staple Bailey's hand to the table and tells the man to tell the story starting where he met his wife.

I've heard a lot of people state the fact that they though Sweeney had a previous relationship with the owner of the necklace, but I really didn't get that vibe from him. I just thought he was picking random targets based off his score from the security boxes.

Soto and Rebecca have been tracking down all the owners of the security boxes and they end up at the last house, which is Bailey's. As they approach, the wife pulls in and asks how she can help them. The woman walks them in only to find her husband dead. Rebecca and Soto, at the bat cave, pull Sweeney's box and only find a metal box inside. Emerson shows up and they begin to review another incident and start to find a pattern with Sweeney, that he picks one of the people from the robbery and targets them. This is different from what he had done in the past, there he would've just turned the merchandise over for money and move on to the next bank.

I find it very interesting that Sweeney's character has altered his normal routine. Is this a result of the rewiring?

They then quickly analyze the footage from the two robberies as Sweeney had entered the bank and find two vases and they were able to zoom in with the super computer to see they were from Mae's Flowers.

Now on to Sweeney and his next target. Sweeney pulls the same move and turns the lady around and tries to drug her, but she fights and he ends up having to chase her down, but she is able to get to the alarm before he gets her. Sweeney hits one security box and begins to casually walk out. As the guard asks him to remain inside, Sweeney knocks him out and thus begins the hostage situation. Emerson distracts the SFPD and it give Rebecca a chance to slip in and break Sweeney out. She climbs through the air ducts of the building next door to get into the bank. Shots are fired and the SFPD task force goes in to take out the hostages. Sweeney and Rebecca come out and Sweeney is dressed in tactical gear. They get in a police car and take off. Emerson and Soto tail behind.

Rebecca wants to drop Sweeney off, but he refused and keeps her as a hostage. He catches on that Emerson and Soto are following behind. Sweeney makes her loose them. Emerson has Soto back off. Rebecca asks Sweeney what he took. Sweeney doesn't know and he doesn't want to open it to look since he is not supposed to. Rebecca speeds up and crashes the car, Sweeney wasn't wearing his seat belt.

Well that was easy!

Back at the bat cave again, Emerson stops by and asks for the key. Rebecca says she will give it to him if he tells her what its for. Emerson takes the key and says, "Some other day." Emerson heads into one of the locked rooms and there is a team there waiting for him. He walks in and says, "we have another one." They compare the key to the one that Sylvane had. The keys are made of amalgamate with trace colloidal silver content and cold forged. The shafts of the key look to be laser cut. Laser cutting didn't exist when the prison was open. Emerson wants the island scanned for find out what the keys open.

The finale scene shows the Warden taking Harlan to a new location where he opens a heavy metal door that requires the two keys, plus an additional key that the Warden had on him to open. The Warden tells Harlan, "Your future just got a heck of a lot brighter, kid." He tells the boy to not be shy and pushes him into the room.

What the hell is in this room? Is this the room that has a portal the future?

Quotes

Sweeney: *As he stares at a necklace* Oh, hello there. What's your story?

Harlin: So you have to be tough.
Sweeney: No emotion, kid. It's how you gotta be. You can't care about anyone or anything. The moment they see a soft spot, they got you by the short hairs.

Rebecca: So, I have to ask...how does someone who's got two PHDs end up with a comic books store?
Soto: If I tell you, can we go someplace with syrup?

Soto: I got the degrees to appease my parents, but I got blacklisted for publishing a major breakthrough in crime-prevention theory for the national journal of criminology.
Rebecca: And that's frowned upon by the academic community?
Soto: It is if your urban statistical Model's based on Gotham City. Batman?
Rebecca: Thanks! I know that one.

Tiller: I see you got my invitation.
Sweeney: You tossed my cell.
Tiller: Some people leave flowers. Others, a mint on a pillow. I toss cells. Occupational Hazard.

Tiller: You know the secret to a good, hot shave? You have to draw the razor with the grain of the whiskers, so everything ends up nice and smooth. When you go against the grain, that's when you get nicked.

Sweeney: You ever see a dog lay down and show it's belly to another dog? That's that dog's way of saying that the bigger dog is in charge. I let Tiller get away with taking my box. He can rip my belly open, invite the whole pack to chew on it until there's nothing left.

Sweeney: Now...now you're showing me something, kid.

Beauregard: Oh, I work with rats myself. Though usually I just sew 'em up, give them a piece of cheese, and send them back to their cells.

Emerson: Okay, you're too close now. Stay further back, Soto. Back!
Soto: You don't have to yell. It's the first time I've ever trailed someone, so a little support wouldn't be , you know, totally unappreciated.
Emerson: It's tailed.

Emerson: Who gave you a licence
Soto: Last time I was behind a wheel, I was...
Emerson: You were 11. Marvelous.

Facts

Tiller would run things differently as Warden. He thinks James is too lenient.
We know there is for sure a room that the two keys open.
Harlan betrayed Sweeney to take over his operation.
Soto seems to be a computer wiz on top of his PHDs and comic book knowledge.
Lucy's last name is different, did she marry or get a name change? Maybe to throw Hauser off.

Inmates

Jack Sylvane (az2024)
Tommy Madsen (az2002)
Ernest Cobb (az2047)
Kit Nelson (az246)
Cal Sweeney (az2112)

Guards

Elisha Baylor Tiller
Ray Archer
Emerson Hauser

Others (maybe considered guards)

Lucy Banerjee
Dr. Beauregard

Alcatraz: Kit Nelson

2012-02-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

In the third episode of Alcatraz, we find a man who appears to be coming home, he walks in the door with a key and sets his jacket down with a flower (chrysanthemum) and then heads up stairs to check on the children. He pulls the blanket up over the one boy and then walks over to the other and puts his comic aside.

You would think that it's the father just getting home from work and that he is going to say goodnight to his sons, but that is not the case. How did he get the key to the house?

The man grabs one of the two boys and tells him, "Scream and I'll kill your brother."

Back to 1960, we find the same man in the court yard getting taunted by the other inmates who are calling him a "Child Killer." The taunting turns physical as they start to beat this man, while the guards stand idly by. Tiller walks up to one of the guards an tell him to bring him in before they kill him.

I've heard that prisons don't take kindly to men who have abused children and I'm glad to see that holds true here.

The mans name is Kit Nelson (Michael Eklund) and of course he ends up at the infirmary with his wounds. Dr. Beauregard is doing his job, but he begins to hassle Nelson the same as the other inmates. The Warden comes into the infirmary with a wheel chair and takes Nelson for a walk. He informs Nelson that he is going to isolate him to protect him and he also mentions that he received a letter from his father and stated that he wanted to visit. Nelson does not want this, but despite that the Warden is going to allow it. At this point the warden makes Nelson stand out of the chair and leaves him to walk back to the infirmary which is a major struggle with his injuries.

To the present we go and we find Dr. Soto drawing a comic with Rebecca as a character. He has a police scanner on and over hears something about a 11 year old boy missing and only flower was left in his bed. Dr. Soto rushes to find Emerson and Rebecca and does so at the hospital as they watch over Lucy. Soto explains what he had heard on the police scanner, he thinks it's Kit Nelson. He elaborated to say that Nelson steals the kid on Friday and brings them back Sunday night dead. They showed up at the scene of the crime and talk to the brother, he had seen Nelson before and Nelson had given him some rock candy. The boy had also seen Nelson come in and take his brother, but the boy was too afraid to say anything.

We know find Nelson and the boy walking up to a trailer with fishing rods to rent a boat. They get out into the water and Nelson tells the boy to get in the water without a life vest. Nelson follows and then tells the boy to hold him under the water for as long as he can. The boy says that he can't, but Nelson insists and the boy then does. Nelson pops up after being under for a little while and says "Your turn."

Soto begins to elaborate on Kit Nelson's past and talks about how Kit took the kids out for a last hoorah. So they questions the boys mother to find out his interests and hobbies.

Does anyone else think it's funny that the mother mentions The Simpsons and King of the Hill? Way to self promote Fox.

Soto thinks of something and then begins to ramble about cherry pie. Rebecca asks Soto to go out front while she continues to talk to the mother. Out front, Soto runs into Emerson who has called off the Amber Alert. Emerson states that he is going to wait for Nelson to make an appearance back at the house. Soto is livid and thinks that they can stop Nelson from killing the boy. Soto storms off taking responsibility into his own hands and starts to check diners for cherry pie. Soto ends up in the same location as Nelson and the little boy as they sit down to a table to eat some cherry pie. Nelson is very particular with his rituals and makes the boy hold the fork in his left hand.

In the 60's, we are pulled into Nelson's visit with his father, who is there to tell Kit that his mother has passed. The father is very pleased to see that Kit has gotten what he deserves with the beatings. The father then carries on and brings up Kit's brother, who the father believes Kit had killed. The story was told that the brother had died from scarlet fever, but the father believes that it was a cover up. A lie that the mother had told to prevent loosing two sons that day.

Nelson is then thrown into the hole with limited rations. The Warden is inside the cell and he strikes a match to get Nelson's attention. He mentions that the conversation is 4 matches long and asks Nelson to tell him about his brother. As the matches burn out, the Warden notes that he is a father too and he thinks that Nelson had killed his own brother. The last match is struck and Nelson speaks up and admits to killing his brother and said that he loved it. Nelson and his brother were in a bomb shelter and he squeezed his neck until his brother stopped breathing. Nelson knew from that moment on that he had to do it again. The Warden lights another match and says it is a bonus round and asks about the flower. Nelson says it was his mom's favorite and his brother's too. The Warden leaves Nelson in the dark solitude and gives him the pack of matches and tells him to make them last.

In the present, Soto lets Rebecca know that the boy and Nelson are in the same restaurant as him. While she is on the way, Nelson and the boy go to get up and leave. Soto struggles to come up with something to stall so he asks Nelson for some change for a dollar.

Yeah, didn't really think that was going to work.

As Nelson and the boy continue to walk to the door. Soto stands up and follows them out to tell Nelson to let the boy go.

Did Soto expect to be able to chase Nelson down if he ran?

Nelson draws a gun and Rebecca shows up with her's drawn. Nelson makes Rebecca throw away her phone, keys and gun.

Phone? How the hell did he know about cell phones. Did they exists back in the 60's? Has he had some training in the present? Most of the returning criminals seem pretty knowledgeable to current trends.

Rebecca and Dr. Soto end up cuffing themselves to the dumpster and Nelson gets away with the boy. Soto, with deep regret says, "I just got that kid killed, didn't I?" With twelve hours left until the boy is to be returned dead, Soto discovers some cigarettes, expensive ones. They find out that C&C Cement Company was paying Nelson while in prison. They specialized in building bomb shelters. Rebecca and Soto use this information to try to track down old abandon bomb shelters to see if Nelson is holding the boy in one.

Nelson and the boy are now playing checkers in a bomb shelter and again, Nelson is very particular in how the boy is supposed to move the pieces. Nelson gets angry and slams the board and clears the table and lets the boy know he was wrong. Moments after the game, we find Nelson staring at some matches, the ones that the Warden had given him. While Nelson is fixed on the matches and smoking a cigarette, the boy begins to slip off his shoe quietly and uses it to throw at the light bulb to make it dark. Once dark, the boy makes a break for it and up out of the bomb shelter he goes. Rebecca and Soto arrive shortly after to find the shelter empty and then they hear the boy scream. They catch up to Nelson and the boy who has once again fallen back in Nelson's hands. Rebecca draws her gun. Nelson goes for the choke. Rebecca does not fire, but Emerson shows up and shoots Nelson in the head.

How does he do that? Always shows up at the right time. Kit Nelson is dead? Can it be?

Back at the bat cave, Emerson is talking to Rebecca and Soto and explains, "Arrested development is what happens when we're traumatized as children. We get stuck at the age we were when the trauma occurred for our entire lives. And you were what, 11?" Emerson continues, "Do you know why I allow you to be here, Soto? 10,000 hours. That's the time it takes for a person to become an expert at something. And I'm guessing you've spent twice that studying Alcatraz. But I need the adult Soto, not the 11-year-old." Soto, "When I was 11..." Rebecca stops him and says it's okay and then complements him on knowing about the cherry pie.

Soto goes to see the kidnapped boy and gives him some comics that he noticed were missing from his collection. Soto says, "Something happened, where someone took me, just like that guy that took you right, but it wasn't easy, but I got away too. And once that happens, once you know you can do that, it sort of give you super powers, like theirs but real."

As all of the episodes have ended, we head back to the bunker (Alternate Alcatraz) and Emerson is bringing Nelson's dead body back and puts it into a room with a doctor. It's Dr. Beauregard.

He doesn't look any older to me. How can this be, does he count as one of the guards? I'm guessing not, since Emerson knows him.

Emerson says that Dr. Beauregard might need help. The doctor says, "I'm armed and ready."

Another great episode, this one didn't to seem to have much of the comic relief, but I will chalk that up to Dr. Soto having such a close tie to what was happening. Again, a great performance from the Warden James. I love how he messes with the inmates and get what he wants out of them.

Quotes

Nelson: Scream and I'll kill your brother.

Tiller: How long's it been?
Guard: Not long.
Tiller: Third dance they took him on since the weather turned?
Guard: Could be the fourth.
Tiller: Could be his last, we'd all be better off. Just get him inside, before they kill him.

Emerson: Where did you hear about this?
Soto: I heard it on my police scanner.
Rebecca: You have a police scanner?
Soto: Not the point.

Tommy Madsen: They didn't beat you because of what you did. They beat you because of what you are.

Soto: Oh, so that's how you're going to catch him? Great idea. The only problem with your strategy there, Dr. Strangelove, is the kid'll already be dead.
Emerson: Lower your voice, Soto.
Soto: You don't get it. We can save this kid. We need the Amber alert to get Nelson's photo out there.

Soto: It's not complicated. It's simple. I know this, because I'm a human being. I'm not like you.

Soto: Excuse me! Do you have change for a dollar?
Nelson: No.
Soto: Hey. What are you guys up to?
Nelson: Beat it, fatso.

Soto: Comb. Padlock. Nail Clippers. Soap. Guy that evil who uses soap. Same as us.

Soto: Ottoman's. Look, there's got to be...eight, ten packs in here.
Rebecca: Okay, didn't they all smoke?
Soto: Yeah, prison-issue cigarettes. Not name brands. These went for 5 bucks a pack. Only Al Capone or machine gun Kelly could afford these.

Nelson's father: I thank god for Alcatraz. When I die, it will be in peace. Knowing you will be a rotting corpse before they let you out of here.

Nelson: No, I told you the truth, just like you said. You're gonna leave me here now? That's not fair.
Warden: Fair? Interesting choice of words for someone who outweighs his victims by 100 pounds. Make 'em last.

Soto: When I was 11, uh...
Rebecca: It's okay, doc. Whatever it is, I bet you've got a pretty good origin story yourself.

Facts

Emerson wears a ring, what is it for?
Dr. Soto is turning there adventures into a comic.
Kit Nelson was disguised as Warren from Keller's Hardware.
The boys names were Dylan and Liam.
Dr. Beauregard had kids 8 and 12 years old in 1960
The Warden was responsible for the beatings of Nelson.
Emerson looks over Lucy's sweater and items and becomes very upset and flips a chair while enraged.
Nelson doesn't give the kids on last hoorah, he relives his brother's favorite things.
The Warden talks of Phillumeny, collecting of match-related items.
The Warden wants to be able to tell the father what had happened.
Nelson asks if the Warden is doing this for the loyalty of another vet? He does it because he's a father too.

Inmates

Jack Sylvane (2024)
Tommy Madsen (2002)
Ernest Cobb (2047)
Kit Nelson (az246)

Guards

Elisha Baylor Tiller
Ray Archer
Emerson Hauser

Others (maybe considered guards)

Lucy Banerjee
Dr. Beauregard

Alcatraz: Ernest Cobb

2012-01-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

The second episode of Alcatraz "Ernest Cobb" was a part of the premiere and I thoroughly enjoyed it. After the first episode set me up, this one knocked me down. It was really this episode that sold me on the show. Not to discredit the first, but this episode introduced some new characters that I found be very interesting.

The opening scene introduces us to two new characters, the first is a new inmate named Ernest Cobb (Joe Egender) who is being taunted by the other inmates calling him fresh fish. As he is being moved through the prison, Tiller takes him to see the other new character, Warden Edwin James (Jonny Coyne), before he is put in his cell. During their conversation, the Warden states that Cobb had made a home made single shot to shoot a guard. Cobb insists that he shot the guard in the leg just to get a transfer. He wanted to come to Alcatraz for his very own private cell. The warden informs the guards to put Cobb in his private cell. Cobb sits down on his bed and then looks like he's at peace.

Could it be, he gets exactly what he wants without penalty?

He then hears an inmate next door, who is using a mirror to reach out and get a look at Cobb. The inmate next door begins talking and talking to Cobb. Cobb asks him to leave him alone, but the guy just won't shut up. About that time, Sylvane starts fighting with the the guards and they escort him to solitaire. Cobb sees this an instantly starts thinking of a way for himself to be put in solitaire, away from the noisy neighbor.

As we are brought back to present day, we find Cobb walking to an open field and setting up a picnic where he has a sandwich and soda. He digs back into the picnic basket and pulls out a scope and uses it to look down at a carnival. He is picking out his targets and during the process repeats "There are 47 slats in the picket fence. 4 7. 1 2 3 4. 1 2..."

What the hell is this ritual about? Did his house have a picket fence?

He ends up focusing his scope on a young couple who are about to get on the ferris wheel. Cobb pulls out the rest of his rifle and assemble it with a silencer. He starts his ritual again, using the lawn chair was a rest and fires shots on 2 and 7. He kills a man in the crowd and then the couple on the ferris wheel.

Rebecca and Soto show up at the carnival to see the after math and of course Cobb is long gone by this time. Soto is hung up on the dead bodies and starts to doubt if he can do this. Rebecca tells Soto, "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement." Soto is still hung up on the dead bodies. Rebecca tries to get his attention, but Soto doesn't acknowledge her. Emerson asks Rebecca, "How's the new partner working out?"

Hahaha. Got to love Emerson and how he shows no compassion for the team.

Soto walks off and Rebecca follows. Soto again states that he isn't cut out for this, but Rebecca ignores that statement and asks him what rifle Cobb used. Soto informed her that it was a Winchester Model 70. They realize Cobb can pull a shot from 500 yards and they see an opening on a hill top where they think Cobb had taken the shots from. They walk up to the hill and find a shell casing from one of his shots. They glance to the left and realize they can see Alcatraz from this spot.

Now at the hidden bunker in the forest. Lucy sits down with Sylvane to see what he knows about Cobb. She tries to find out why they are both back. Jack insists that he doesn't know and wants to know who is watching him. Lucy then asks Jack about the key he had on him, when they caught him, does he know what it opens? Jack says he does not know.

Jack doesn't know jack.

Rebecca, Lucy and Dr. Soto are hot on the trial of Cobb and track down the location where he had purchases a Model 70 rifle. Rebecca knows the guy behind the counter (not in an old friend manner) and gives him a hard time. She then asks for the camera footage from the day Cobb was in, they see that he pulls an old styled hotel key out from his pocket and they use that to track him down. Once at the hotel, they get the key and head up to his room. Rebecca is first in the room and does a quick sweep. It was clear, so Dr. Soto and Lucy come in to help search the room. Lucy walks over towards the window and opens the curtain. Cobb is across the way and he shoots her.

Emerson shows up as they load Lucy into the ambulance. He seems quick to blame Rebecca and Soto.

Are Emerson and Lucy an item? They did talk about children.

Emerson goes to the bunker and questions Jack. He holds up a picture of Lucy and asks if she was a target. Jack says he did not know. Emerson says, "That's a shame, maybe Dr. Beauregard can jog your memory." Back at Alcatraz, Dr. Soto and Rebecca are reviewing a database of the 63's that Lucy had setup. Rebecca discovers a pattern in something that was supposed to be random, she sees that there is a 16 year old girl in all the shootings. Rebecca pulls Cobb's items and sets up his cell. She finds a rolled up magazine and lens and figures out that Cobb had created a home made scope and she sees that he could see the locations that he was intending too shoot from.

Back to the 60's, Cobb starts his day like the other inmates and when he is supposed to be standing, he is sitting on his bed. The guards demand he stands, but he just remains seated. This of course gets him thrown into solitary, just as he wanted. The warden comes to visit Cobb in solitaire, he congratulates him on getting exactly what he wanted with the smallest breach in the most public of places. The warden say, "You win son, fair and square." The warden starts to walk away, but then quickly turns around and says "Just one more thing. Open up. I believe you two fellas know each other." The warden had the talkative neighbor placed in the same cell as Cobb in solitary confinement.

I love this move by the warden. It sends a message of do not fool with me in my prison.

Now in the present, Rebecca and Soto use the computer to remove buildings that were not there in the 60's.

Really, those are some amazing computer applications that they are using. I would like to meet the guy who wrote them. You got to love the TV super computer.

They find the possible buildings that Cobb would use and they are on their way to catch him. Emerson and Rebecca split up between two buildings. Emerson wants Cobb alive and when he ends up flanking him to distract him as Rebecca takes him down. Emerson shoots Cobb in his right hand so he doesn't shoot anymore.

Nice! Revenge for Lucy.

As the episode ended before, Emerson takes Cobb to the bunker in the forest. As the guards walk Cobb to his cell, he and Jack Sylvane catch each others eyes. Cobb looks scared, maybe surprised, it is unclear.

As I stated earlier, this was an amazing episode for me. I enjoy almost any story that envolves a sniper. It is also very interesting to me that I actually like the warden in this series. In most movies, I end up hating the warden and sympathizing with the prisoner, but Alcatraz is setup in a manner that I do not have any sympathy for the inmates, at least not in Cobb's case. It is just an interesting dynamic between Warden James and Deputy Warden Tiller, when in Tiller vs Sylvane, you go with Sylvane and with James vs Cobb, you go with James. I'm kind of curious if those two dynamics will continue or if I will end up not liking the warden later on.

Quotes
Warden: Tell me. How do you pick'em? When they're all just little dots in your scope.
Cobb: Feeling.

Cobb: There are 47 slats in the picket fence. 4 7. 1 2 3 4. 1 2...

Employee: Hey. What's the new gig anyway?
Soto: I'm not supposed to talk about it.
Employee: Okay.
Soto: It's a task force.
Emplyee: Okay.
Soto: FBI mostly, some police, but I can't talk about it. I'm a civilian authority.
Employee: Sounds cool.
Soto: Oh, it's cool alright. It's super cool.

Employee: Whoa, hot chick. Don't look...don't look...don't look. You looked!
Soto: That's my partner...from the task force.
Employee: No way!
Rebecca: Way!

Emerson: You wanted children, go babysit.

Lucy: You know, Emerson. They aren't so bad.

Soto: Whoa. Call of Duty: Urban Warfare in 3D. I think I got a second amendment contact high.

Cobb: You eat alone.

Warden: What was that son, you need to speak up.

Cobb: alone, you eat alone.

Soto: Can I ask you something? Do you know how these guys are coming back and whos...you know...behind it. Casue I have some theories involving worm holes, but how's it you seem to just accept everything that's happening like its not the biggest thing every?

Lucy: How I feel about the what's happening, doesn't change the fact that it is happening.

Soto: Thanks, that helps a ton.

Emerson: Cobb is still out there and as long as he is, he will continue to kill and that is all you need to know.

Emerson: Right handed?

Rebecca: Yeah.

Emerson *shoots Cobb's right hand* No more shooting.

Facts

Cobb spent more time in solitary confinement than any other inmate on record
Soto questions what is in all the rooms that have doors with no handles and elevator with floors that need keys to access
Rebecca and Soto discuss his book and how there wasn't much information on Tommy Madsen who was put in prison for murdering his wife
Soto acknowledging that its weird to chase your grandfather
The window Lucy opened had "I can see you" written is black marker
The Platters - Great Pretender is playing in the background while Warden James eats lunch
Cobb's sister was 16, when he went to visit his mother. Cobb was pushed away, which means that he is jealous of his sister getting all the attention
Cobb was in a straight jacket toward the end in which most likely means he killed his talkative cell mate.
Lucy shows up in 1960, she hasn't aged to the present day.

Inmates

Jack Sylvane (2024)
Tommy Madsen (2002)
Ernest Cobb (2047)

Guards

Elisha Baylor Tiller
Ray Archer
Emerson Hauser

Others (maybe considered guard)

Lucy Banerjee

Alcatraz: Pilot

2012-01-26T20:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome back Lost or at least the show I hope can fill that empty gap in my life that Lost took away when it ended. There have been a few close contenders, but none have matched up to Lost. The closest shows would be Grimm, Once Upon a Time and Terra Nova. There is yet another show starting soon called The River that looks like it might be good, but that has yet to be seen.

Alcataz has officially begun and I'm all-in from the beginning this time. When Lost started, I did watch the premiere episode and even the second, but I had missed a couple after that and when I tried to come back to it, I was...lost. I didn't have a DVR then, but I do now, which will make sure I don't miss an episode. I'm hoping to blog after I watch each episode of Alcatraz and oh yes, there will be spoilers. So you are warned.

So, enough of the introduction. The season premiere of Alcatraz was actually two episodes, which for this post, I will only cover the one titled "Pilot." This episode starts off by stating that Alcatraz had closed on March 21st, 1963 due to rising costs. All the inmates were supposed to be transferred, but 302 men went missing and somehow they are starting to come back to the present.

The first inmate we are introduced to is Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce), a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was first sent to prison for robbing a grocery store.

Really...oh, they sold stamps, so that's a federal offense.

This lands Sylvane at Leavenworth prison, where he has some problems in the shower and ends up killing a guy, which results in a transfer to Alcatraz. Back to the present, Sylvane wakes up with a mission, a jacket, a key, money and a boat ticket. He goes after a guard E.B. Tiller (Jason Butler Harner) who was downright rotten to him, so Sylvane kills him in the present by stabbing him in the chest. After getting revenge, he goes and pays Barkley Flynn a visit and then takes a key from Flynn's safe.

Sylvane got what he wants, so he will let Flynn live, right? Nope.

While all the jumping around of Sylvane's story is happening, there is another story that revolves around our leading lady, Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones). We are introduced to her on the chase with her partner after some guy. In the process, they are running across roof tops.

Got to love roof top chases, that would be exactly how I'd try to escape.

Rebecca's partner goes to jump a gap and doesn't quite make it, so he is hanging on the ledge, which lets the criminal get away. Rebecca jumps the gap and makes it and tries to reach for her partner, but she can't and he falls to his death. Now 3 months later, she is partnerless and now finds the case of E.B. Tiller's death. She notices a cracked photo at the scene and then Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) shows up and he pulls rank and kicks her out. Madsen continues anyway and takes the picture. She is able to lift a fingerprint off the glass and finds out it belongs to Jack Sylvane, but his record is inaccessible. She then searches the web and finds a link that takes her to Dr. Diego Soto's (Jorge Garcia) book on Alcatraz.

Everybody loves Hugo.

With Dr. Soto and Madsen now working together, they hit up Alcatraz and find a restricted area in the barracks and find themselves gassed. Once the gas wears off and they finally pull themselves together, Hauser says, "Good, you're awake. Detective Madsen, welcome to Alcatraz."

What a perfect time for a commercial break.

So, after the introductions are made, the Detective and Doctor finally catch up to Sylvane as he is leaving Flynn's place. Sylvane gets away and then goes to find his wife. He finds that his wife has passed (cancer) and confronts his brother (Allan Sylvane) who had married her while Jack was in prison. Jack takes Allan (who is old) to his wife's (Sonya Sylvane) grave where he goes to forgive her. Rebecca shows up and tells him to put his gun down. Jack asks her to shoot him and she does not. Jack lifts the gun to take a shot and someone else takes the shot to stop Jack. Jack was just wounded and taken prisoner. As he is walking away in cuffs, he turns and tells Rebecca that she should have killed him.

Why should she have killed him? Is it because he has found peace or will he be forced to do something again?

Rebecca wants to find out all the facts on Jack, but Emerson tries to stop her and steer them toward the next person that comes back. Emerson states he has been waiting for these events to occur for a very very long time. Emerson then escorts them to a new area, where you see pictures of 46 guards and 256 prisoners, the ones who went missing. Emerson refers to them as the "63's." In this room, Rebecca finds an image of Tommy Madsen, who is not a guard like she was told and believed, he was an inmate. Tommy was also the person they were chasing earlier in the show when her partner died. Emerson gives Rebecca transfer orders to work for him and she chooses Dr. Soto as her partner. This scene then ends with Emerson saying, "We have to find who took them."

Who took them? How about we answer how they stayed so young? Did they take a dip in the Lazareth pit?

The show ends with Emerson taking Jack out into the woods (not on the island) to some type of bunker that was modeled after Alcatraz. As Emerson and Jack enter the holding area, Emerson says, "Welcome home Jack. You're not going to give me a hard time, are you? **Emerson headbutts Jack** E.B. Tiller was my friend. Take him to his cell. Not to worry Jack, you won't be lonesome long."

So far, I'm loving it. The show is freaking amazing. Well, at least what I've seen. I'm really enjoying the character development. Even though it seems like they are doing a "monster" of the week, which is nothing new. I find that the overarching story helps separate it from the rest and keeps my interest. I know I'm missing some details and facts, I did take notes during the show. I'll bring them up if they are relevant later.

Quotes

Soto: Aren't you kind of young to be a detective?
Madsen: Yeah, I get that a lot.
Soto: Bet you have a pretty cool origin story.
Madsen: I was raised by a cop. He'd bring his cases home. I'd read them before bed and put post-its where he should look. Actually helped him solve a few cases.
Soto: Nice.

Soto: Oh...my head. Where are we?
Madsen: Alcatraz.
Soto: They've done some redecorating.

Hauser: I run a special division in charge of criminals who hold a particular allure for our government.
Madsen: You know I don't believe a word of that, right?
Soto: So, you built the bat cave underneath Alcatraz, but why would you do that?

Madsen: What does that mean, he escaped?
Soto: No one ever escaped Alcatraz. Not to mention, the guy looks exactly the same. Which if you're keeping score at home, is impossible.

Hauser: Even if Jack Sylvane didn't know Flynn. Doesn't mean there weren't people that want him dead.
Madsen: So, you're implying that Sylvane is being used by someone. That he was told to do this?
Hauser: I don't think I was implying. I thought I was saying it.

Soto: Is anyone else's head exploding right now?

Hauser: We have to find who took them.

Facts

March 21, 1963 Alcatraz closed
302 (256 prisoners and 46 guards) men missing
Emerson was one of the two guards that found the island empty
Emerson has a partner named Lucy Banerjee

Inmates

Jack Sylvane (2024)
Tommy Madsen (2002)

Guards

Elisha Baylor Tiller
Ray Archer
Emerson Hauser